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Tuesday, June 09, 2026

Up Town

We had an early start. We both needed to get up, dress, and have breakfast before taking Ellie to school. We had a day out planned. We walked Ellie to school as usual, but then, as soon as we got back home, we hopped in the car and drove to the railway station.

We made ourselves comfortable in the 1st Class compartment and began the trip to London Victoria. The train was slightly delayed, but it was a comfortable trip to the capital. We dropped down into the Underground and took the tube to Oxford Circus. From there, it was only a 5-minute walk to "Vasco & Piero's Pavilion Restaurant."

Paul, the owner, greeted us like family, and we were shown to a table where we could have a coffee and sit and wait for Paul and Cathy. We had only been there for about 10 minutes when they arrived. They are on their way to Poland, where, along with Ellen and Mark, they hope to explore some of the villages and towns from whence the family came originally.

We sat and chatted, catching up on the family news from across the pond... Laura's engagement and pregnancy, Michael and Emily's Eloise, and Andrew's new girlfriend. We also heard about their "bolt-hole" in the Eastern townships of Quebec. The photos Paul had on the phone brought it all to life. We had a lovely lunch, and sat chatting for a couple of hours or more. (In fact, we had been so busy chatting that I forgot to take any photos). Eventually, we stirred and headed back towards Oxford Circus. Paul and Cathy wanted to visit Marks and Spencer, and planned to go to the Royal Albert Hall this evening. We dropped back into the tube network and found our way back to Victoria. We had ourselves comfortable in the 1st Class compartment again, and headed back to the coast.

It had been a lovely day, and it was so nice to catch up with the family for a few hours.

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